1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a novel method of drying meat which comprises deep-frying the meat under reduced pressure and then vacuum freeze-drying the deep-fried meat and, if desired,preheating the meat prior to the above deep frying treatment.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In the past, several techniques for drying foodstuff have been studied and developed. The object of these methods is to dry the foodstuff without impairing its inherent characteristics and to make it possible to rehydrate the dried foodstuff into an approximately similar state to that of the foodstuff before drying. At present, it is generally accepted that among the various drying techniques, the freeze drying technique best attains the above objects. The freeze drying technique is used to dry many foodstuff and, of course, to dry meat.
The meat is freeze-dried in such a way that almost none of its cells are broken and the meat does not shrink, so that the appearance of the meat after drying is substantially the same as before drying. In the freeze-dried meat, however, the flavor-bearing materials in the meat, e.g., the meat juices and the like, are present in the form of powder, and when the meat is rehydrated, the powdered flavor-bearing materials are dissolved in water or a seasoned broth which penetrates into the dried meat and are extracted from the meat. As a result, the rehydrated meat loses flavor. Moreover, the state of the rehydrated meat differs from that of the meat before drying, and the rehydrated meat is obtained by merely allowing the water or seasoned broth to impregnate in the freeze-dried meat. Thus, the taste and texture of the meat which has been rehydrated and then cooked is different from the taste and texture of fresh (undried) meat which has been cooked.
As mentioned above, the dried meat obtained according to the conventional freeze drying technique may be satisfactory in appearance. However, when rehydrated and cooked, its flavor and texture do not compare satisfactorily with undried meat which has been cooked.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,577 discloses a method of producing a oompacted, freeze-vacuum-dehydrated food selected from the group consisting of vegetables and meats which upon rehydration with water produces a rehydrated food which is substantially indistinguishable from the food prior to compaction and freeze-vacuum-dehydration thereof. This method comprises compacting said food while frozen in particulate form and simultaneously freeze-vacuum-dehydrating said food to a moisture content below about 4.0 % by weight, said compacting being carried out by applying mechanical pressures of at least about 20 p.s.i. and sufficient to provide a freeze-vacuum-dehydrated food having a bulk density of from about 0.5 to about 1.2 g/cc. However, the drying method in the above U.S. Patent is merely a vacuum freeze-drying. Accordingly, the dried meat obtained according to the method of the above patent has similar defects to the conventional freeze-dried meat. Namely, upon rehydration with water, the powdered flavor-bearing materials, e.g., the meat juices, in the dried meat are dissolved in water which penetrates into the meat and are extracted from the meat. Thus, the rehydrated meat loses flavor.